Tonight, February’s full moon – the Snow Moon – will begin the last 12 hours of its 27.322 day orbit around the Earth to reach peak illumination at 8.17am tomorrow (Saturday 27 February) morning. This is the moment when the sun is directly (180 degrees) opposite the moon in ecliptic longitude and its sunlit side is entirely visible from the Earth in between. For 2–3 days on either side of this pinnacle the moon appears full and round to the naked eye.
Look to the East around sunset and you will see it rising. To see it at its highest stay up until midnight and to watch it set in the West, head out for sunrise. Here in Forest Gate we are lucky to witness such a sight in all its glory as the wide grassland vistas of Wanstead Flats allow a clear view of solar and lunar synchronicity.
For those who live close by, stand in the middle of The Flats at sunrise or sunset around the time of the full moon and imagine you are standing on top of the world, directly between these two powerful forces. As one rises, the other dips down over the horizon. It really does feel magical especially when the sun and moon are at their golden and silver best as seems to be the way at the moment. I’m taking every opportunity to bathe in their light with no particular intention or alignment to one belief or another. It just feels restorative and sort of how we’re meant to start or end the day.
Saying that my hands are full with the kids at the moment and it’s often not possible to get out when you want to so I’ll be using my imagination too. Harking back to times when the stars and the moon were an intrinsic part of navigating life’s journey. When lunar cycles were given names, indicating what was going on with the hunt or the harvest. Hence the Snow Moon (also known as the Storm Moon and the Hunger Moon), so named by indigenous North American peoples for the time of year when it was most likely to snow.
In terms of traditional moon names, here in southeast England we’re probably more in line with the Worm Moon (March) or even the Pink Moon (April) as worm casts and early wildflowers start to make their presence known. As Facebook has just informed me via it’s algorithmic ‘memories’ function, it was snowing on this day three years ago, however, so in order not to jinx things I might just bow to the Snow Moon and let the natural order of things unfold… Only 27.322 days until the next full moon: 28 March at 7.48pm, which will be just over 4 hours until two households or six people from different households can meet in a garden or an open green space again! I cannot wait.